23 replies to this topic

[WSU Cowboy]

I am not really trying to make this a "what is the best gun" topic, but more of a "what do you use" type of topic. I have been modding for around 4 years now, so starting a fairly decent project is not out of my scope here. I just got done with my AT3K (pretty much followed Ryan201821's guide) and am looking at getting into more NIC war stuff now that I am graduating college and Moving away from HvZ play. So I guess without beating around the bush anymore, my question is this: What would you recommend for a primary/secondary for a player transitioning from the standard HvZ play to NIC play? Thank you everyone in advance for reading and replying.

I probably should have stated this in the question, my bad on that one, but I generally shy away from homemade blasters (though home made internals interest me in some blasters) because I like to improve upon the design of stock blasters and I really like the looks of them (improved upon of course by the modifications).

Edited by WSU Cowboy, 14 November 2013 - 11:36 PM.

[Xellah]

As far as primaries go, a PumpSnap or Rainbowpump with a hopper are the way to go. They're reliable and pump-action for optimal war usability. A +Bow is also great if pull-backs are your thing and you have some disposable income to build one.

Hoppers have made secondaries and integrations obsolete at NIC wars. I wouldn't recommend even worrying about having one. Instead, use your resources to build another primary.

[andtheherois]

A 3k isn't a bad NIC primary. I've seen tons of guys do great with them. However if you want more ROF I would switch to some thing pump action. I personally stick with pumpbows because they're fun to build and relatively rare on the field. But anything like a pumpsnap or rainbowpump would work just as well.

[Donquixote]

If you are looking for cheap and simple, a UMB can do wonders. You might not be on the front, but of you can aim well you can still be a vital team member. Gears, IIRC, uses one as his primary and he is an absolute powerhouse on the field.

[DX-Robert]

Aiiiiiiiiiir guns! You can spend $30-150 on a springer homemade, or <$10 on an easy to mod air contraption. You lose some RoF, but generally anything requiring 5 or less pumps can be taken head to head against pump action springers. Air blasters tend to have high velocities, so you can get in close and take more accurate shots for hits (you don't need to be the guy in the back taking pot shots).

It really depends on your style of play and personal preferences though. I used nothing but springers for years and only recently switched to nothing but air. It hasn't really affected my play style that much. The main difference is off the field. Maintenance on springer homemades gets annoying if you nerf frequently, especially SNAP variants. Air blasters have really trivial malfunctions that are easily fixed in most cases. The worst things that can happen to my Naked Zerker are the hopper coming off, which can be reglued, or the O-ring wearing out, which can be replaced for like 30 cents. Air blasters can be beaten into the ground and then you can just get another one for little cost. They usually don't look great aesthetically, it's a really functional choice. Go with springers if you care what it looks like.

[WSU Cowboy]

Thanks folks! I was considering starting a rear loading AT2K project (and I may still, just for the fun of it), I am trying to stay away from the homemades simply because I like to use existing blasters and mess with them to make something so much better out of them. If I really get into NIC wars and get a stable income I may make a rainbow or whatever the newest pump style homemade is at the time. I may get a crossbow someday (again with a stable income) but I would really like to do another project blaster.

[Xellah]

If you are looking for cheap and simple, a UMB can do wonders. You might not be on the front, but of you can aim well you can still be a vital team member. Gears, IIRC, uses one as his primary and he is an absolute powerhouse on the field.

I can tell you from personal experience that it's not his use of a UMB that makes him a powerhouse, it's #Swag.

The only airgun that I have enjoyed using is a Sceptor. I find pumping between every shot to be inconvenient. I also dislike rear-loading but like DX said it comes down to personal preference. Try both; you'll find out fairly quickly which one works for your play style.

Edited by Xellah, 15 November 2013 - 12:42 AM.

[pinhead52]

First of all, let me say that I have never (nor will I probably ever) attend an official NIC war, so my standards are much lower than the pros who will be responding, but I try to stay away from homemades too, but that's venue based. As far as modded blasters, I use a quick 16 as my primary, but I usually use stock ammo at my wars, so that wouldn't exactly be a NIC standard. I think most guys out there use a solid single shot with a hopper, like a BBB, if they aren't using a homemade. Like was said before, the whole "primary/backup" mentality was lost once someone hoppered a +bow, so try to find a modded blaster that comes close to that ideal and use it.

[shmmee]

I slut myself between a bunch of different blasters as the rounds progress. You don't have to commit to a single blaster and only use that. It's much more fun to switch it up...
1)RSCB'd full tank panther (small, light, huge range, insanely accurate, simple 10 min mod, a near perfect rushing blaster, great for CTF. Currently it's my go-to primary)
2)hoppered marshmallow crossbow. (the huge pt allows for an equally huge feed tube, quick easy mod)
3)pteg barreled, pump replaced marshmallow Mforcer (naturally semi-auto 15 rnd rear loading turret! Only 80' range, but the rof compensates)
4)trustfired Rayven (it doesn't get simpler than buying 4 trustfires and dumping them in. Accuracy is abysmal but the rof and clip swapping is pretty fun)

[flyingchicken]

I've been using a Big Bad Bow as my primary for nearly five years. Of course, that's not all I use. I'll often use an Arrowstorm, some hideous clusterfuck, something gimmicky, or occasionally a hoppered SNAP/PumpSNAP.

In the end, you should use the blaster you have the most fun with. As Duxburian mentioned, your playstyle has a lot to do with it, but it's not terribly difficult to adapt to a different blaster.

Don't worry about being able to keep up with other Nerfers' blasters; anyone in the Southeast will tell you I'm just as competitive with a BBB as anyone on the field is with their fancy homemades. My playstyle has adapted to the blaster and I've learned through experience what I can and can't do with my BBB.

Just have fun.

[azrael]

I slut myself between a bunch of different blasters as the rounds progress. You don't have to commit to a single blaster and only use that. It's much more fun to switch it up...
1)RSCB'd full tank panther (small, light, huge range, insanely accurate, simple 10 min mod, a near perfect rushing blaster, great for CTF. Currently it's my go-to primary)
2)hoppered marshmallow crossbow. (the huge pt allows for an equally huge feed tube, quick easy mod)
3)pteg barreled, pump replaced marshmallow Mforcer (naturally semi-auto 15 rnd rear loading turret! Only 80' range, but the rof compensates)
4)trustfired Rayven (it doesn't get simpler than buying 4 trustfires and dumping them in. Accuracy is abysmal but the rof and clip swapping is pretty fun)

I bought an MForcer the other day on your recommendation haha. Stoke to get it in the mail. 80', according to some data conducted hereis actually pretty solid. Most blasters apparently don't actually hit 100' flat.

Is the crossbow you mean?
http://www.amazon.co...o/dp/B0036QFKTG

Also, in terms of deadspace, how is an RSCB that different from a hopper?

[roboman]

Also, in terms of deadspace, how is an RSCB that different from a hopper?

RSCBs have significantly more dead space than hoppers do, because there is more pipe and fittings connecting the outlet of the blaster to the dart tube and barrel. The do tend to feed more reliably, especially with longer darts, but you have to tilt them down between shots. They also work better than hoppers on blasters that have lower air outputs because the dart is seated in the barrel before any air is released, so you don't need a massive volume of air to suck a dart into the barrel. RSCB'd 2Ks work very well, and used to be very popular.

[WSU Cowboy]

This is pretty awesome to hear from everyone about what you are using, it is really giving me a lot of hope for being able to cross over from one game style to the next! I do also have a BBB that I have been wanting to drop a [k26] in for awhile now. Making a hopper for it would be pretty awesome and I think that thing would be a lot of fun for me (I still have the bow arms because it doesn't look like a bow anymore if ya don't have the arms. I think that would be a pretty cool blaster to bring to a war). I am still really interested in what else people are using, and am really excited to build an arsenal that I can go out and really have fun with!

[shmmee]

I bought an MForcer the other day on your recommendation haha. Stoke to get it in the mail. 80', according to some data conducted hereis actually pretty solid. Most blasters apparently don't actually hit 100' flat.

Is the crossbow you mean?
http://www.amazon.co...o/dp/B0036QFKTG

That's it! Huge PT! I started with a hoppered cpvc barrel, but had to add some surgical tubing to assist the bow arms. The additional force shattered the pt after 2 years of use. I recently got another one, and switched to a 12" hoppered petg barrel. The loose dart fit let me ditch the surgical tubing assist while maintaining ranges. Should last nearly forever now. It'll occasionally double fire which is great lutz.

The Mforcer peaked at 80' adequately pumped (25 psi), averaged 70ish' if I shot all 15 without re-pumping I remember correctly. Swap in a full rf20 pump and it's super easy to keep the tank topped off.

Edited by shmmee, 15 November 2013 - 05:03 PM.

[Draconis]

Gears, IIRC, uses one as his primary and he is an absolute powerhouse on the field.

One must not discount Gears' striking beauty as a major component to his effectiveness.


I also enjoy using a hoppered Marshmallow Crossbow, and also enjoy the Sceptor. I'm also still a fan of a good 4B, though I don't get to use them on the kids very often.

[flyingchicken]

This is pretty awesome to hear from everyone about what you are using, it is really giving me a lot of hope for being able to cross over from one game style to the next! I do also have a BBB that I have been wanting to drop a [k26] in for awhile now. Making a hopper for it would be pretty awesome and I think that thing would be a lot of fun for me (I still have the bow arms because it doesn't look like a bow anymore if ya don't have the arms. I think that would be a pretty cool blaster to bring to a war). I am still really interested in what else people are using, and am really excited to build an arsenal that I can go out and really have fun with!

Glad to see your enthusiasm! The transition from HvZ to NIC shouldn't be too much of a shock, just different rules and more powerful blasters.
Unfortunately, BBB's don't have the plunger volume for a hopper. Some people have gotten RSCB's to work, with decent results, but I've never gotten them to work reliably. If you're gonna rock the BBB, I'd suggest an integration of some sort.

[WSU Cowboy]

Glad to see your enthusiasm! The transition from HvZ to NIC shouldn't be too much of a shock, just different rules and more powerful blasters.
Unfortunately, BBB's don't have the plunger volume for a hopper. Some people have gotten RSCB's to work, with decent results, but I've never gotten them to work reliably. If you're gonna rock the BBB, I'd suggest an integration of some sort.

Well that's good to know! I have only done a mild CPVC barreling and spring addition to mine, so I really don't know much about it. What do you use for your set up if you don't mind me asking (spring, integration, barrel, etc.)? If ya don't wanna say, I understand

[flyingchicken]

Well that's good to know! I have only done a mild CPVC barreling and spring addition to mine, so I really don't know much about it. What do you use for your set up if you don't mind me asking (spring, integration, barrel, etc.)? If ya don't wanna say, I understand

Everything I've learned has been through years of experience. Some might consider it meaningless, as it is, to quote Daniel Beaver: "a fundamentally mediocre blaster." I won't disagree, but it is great for modding experience. And I just love it. Message me if you're interested!

[zack0909]

you should use an air gun. they are cheap and easy to get. people are saying homemades witch is good but cost a lot.

[Daniel Beaver]

people are saying homemades witch is good but cost a lot.

Since powerful airguns are not commonly sold in stores anymore, it might actually be cheaper to build a homemade than to scrounge around on the forums or eBay for one.

[hockeyfights118]

With a homemade air gun, you run the risk of it being banned at the war. I've seen countless people at wars bring giant 200 foot blasters that get banned on the spot. If you're going to do it, you need to be smart about what is safe and such.

I prefer spring blasters because they avoid pumping and are usually quicker to fire shots because of that.

Ebay is a great place to find nice spring guns. PAS, LS, Xbow, they are all good.

[WSU Cowboy]

Ebay is a great place to find nice spring guns. PAS, LS, Xbow, they are all good.

I have been looking into (hopefully) finding a decently priced Xbow and/or a +bow (just because they are both sheer awesomeness), but as everyone knows they are expensive, and I am also looking into getting an AT2K for a fun little project as well. Right now I have my Remedy Metals powertrain'd LS that I may be selling to a friend and my AT3K. I may be working on a BBB for the funsies (and because I love my BBB) but I really like hearing what everyone is saying.

[ferball]

I have never played in an "official event" but my weapon of choice is bow. It is based off of one of Carbon's Snap bows so it was easy to make and cost less than $10, apply some of the other PVC bow tech you can find on the interweb to your design and you have some power, add a hopper and as fast as you can pull it back is as fast as it will shoot. I am not sure it would be legal at an event, but if you are playing with friends the thing is simple, powerful, and great ROF

[Draconis]

I have been looking into (hopefully) finding a decently priced Xbow and/or a +bow (just because they are both sheer awesomeness), but as everyone knows they are expensive, and I am also looking into getting an AT2K for a fun little project as well. Right now I have my Remedy Metals powertrain'd LS that I may be selling to a friend and my AT3K. I may be working on a BBB for the funsies (and because I love my BBB) but I really like hearing what everyone is saying.

If you decide on a particular blaster you want, let me know. I've got at least one of almost everything, it's all for sale, and shipping from Oregon is going to be more reasonable than from most other places. Also because I need the space.